U.S. patent application number 16/173181 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-09 for touch panel and wearable device.
This patent application is currently assigned to SMK Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is SMK Corporation. Invention is credited to Naomi NAKAYAMA.
Application Number | 20190138136 16/173181 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63104396 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190138136 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
NAKAYAMA; Naomi |
May 9, 2019 |
TOUCH PANEL AND WEARABLE DEVICE
Abstract
An object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a
touch panel which does not need a region for thermocompression
bonding with FPC. The touch panel includes: a sensor having a base
material, a plurality of first electrodes provided on the base
material and configured to detect electrostatic capacitance, and a
plurality of connection pads connected to the plurality of the
first electrodes and provided along a first outer peripheral
portion of the base material all through the first outer peripheral
portion; a substrate on which a plurality of second electrodes is
provided along a second outer peripheral portion all through the
second outer peripheral portion; and an anisotropic conductor
interposed between the first outer peripheral portion of the sensor
and the second outer peripheral portion of the substrate all
through the first and second outer peripheral portions and
contacting the plurality of the first electrodes and the plurality
of the second electrodes.
Inventors: |
NAKAYAMA; Naomi; (Toyama,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SMK Corporation |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
SMK Corporation
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
63104396 |
Appl. No.: |
16/173181 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0443 20190501;
G06F 1/163 20130101; G06F 3/0412 20130101; G06F 3/044 20130101;
G06F 3/047 20130101; G06F 3/0416 20130101; G06F 3/0446 20190501;
G06F 3/03547 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/047 20060101
G06F003/047; G06F 3/041 20060101 G06F003/041; G06F 3/044 20060101
G06F003/044; G06F 3/0354 20060101 G06F003/0354 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 7, 2017 |
JP |
2017-214340 |
Claims
1. A touch panel comprising: a sensor having a base material, a
plurality of first electrodes provided on the base material and
configured to detect electrostatic capacitance, and a plurality of
connection pads connected to the plurality of the first electrodes
and provided along a first outer peripheral portion of the base
material all through the first outer peripheral portion; a
substrate on which a plurality of second electrodes is provided
along a second outer peripheral portion all through the second
outer peripheral portion; and an anisotropic conductor interposed
between the first outer peripheral portion of the sensor and the
second outer peripheral portion of the substrate all through the
first and second outer peripheral portions and contacting the
plurality of the first electrodes and the plurality of the second
electrodes.
2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of
connection pads is connected to one of the plurality of the first
electrodes.
3. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of
the connection pads has a width substantially equal to the maximum
width of the plurality of the first electrodes to which the
plurality of the connection pads is connected.
4. The touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising a
display interposed between the sensor and the substrate, wherein
the display is supported by the anisotropic conductor.
5. The touch panel according to claim 4, wherein the substrate is
provided with a controller connected to the sensor and a controller
connected to the display.
6. A wearable device comprising the touch panel according to claim
1.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a touch panel and a
wearable device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In recent years, a touch panel (also referred to as a touch
screen) for detecting an operation input is widely spread on a
display such as a liquid crystal display element provided in a
mobile device, a cellular phone device, a car navigation device, or
the like. As one type of the touch panel, a capacitive touch panel
is known (for example, PTL 1). The touch panel described in PTL 1
has electrodes in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction
provided on a glass substrate and has signal lines (wiring)
connected to the respective electrodes. The signal lines drawn from
the respective electrodes are gathered at a predetermined position
on the glass base material, and a connecting portion in which the
signal lines are collected is connected to FPC (Flexible Printed
Circuits) by thermocompression bonding or the like. A drive signal
to the touch panel or an output signal from the touch panel is
transmitted via the FPC to and from a substrate on which a control
IC (Integrated Circuit) or the like is mounted.
PRIOR ART DOCUMENT
Patent Literature
[0003] Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2012-212335
SUMMARY
[0004] However, in the touch panel described in PTL 1, it is
necessary to secure a region for thermocompression bonding between
the connecting portion and the FPC, and there has been a problem
that downsizing of the touch panel is difficult. In addition, by
narrowing the signal line drawn around an outer periphery of a base
material, a resistance value per unit length of the signal line is
increased and impedance of the signal line is increased, and thus
there has been a possibility that S/N ratio of the signal
transmitted by the signal line is reduced and detection performance
of the touch panel deteriorates. In particular, when the touch
panel is a narrow frame-shaped product, it is necessary to make the
signal line thinner, and thus there has been a possibility that the
above-mentioned problem is remarkable.
[0005] Further, in recent years, the touch panel has also been
required to deal with progress of narrowing of the frame of the
display. Specifically, it is required to bend an output portion
from the base material immediately outside the display and turn it
to the substrate side. In such a case, it is difficult to secure
the region for thermocompression bonding. Further, when the base
material itself is bent without using the FPC, there is a problem
that the signal line on the base material is disconnected.
Furthermore, when the signal line is disconnected, or a connection
failure occurs in connection by thermocompression bonding or the
like, the product must be discarded and yield may be reduced.
[0006] Therefore, an object of an aspect of the present invention
is to provide a novel and useful touch panel and a wearable device
which solve the above-mentioned problems.
[0007] An aspect of the present invention is a touch panel
including: a sensor having a base material, a plurality of first
electrodes provided on the base material and configured to detect
electrostatic capacitance, and a plurality of connection pads
connected to the plurality of the first electrodes and provided
along a first outer peripheral portion of the base material all
through the first outer peripheral portion, a substrate on which a
plurality of second electrodes is provided along a second outer
peripheral portion all through the second outer peripheral portion;
and an anisotropic conductor interposed between the first outer
peripheral portion of the sensor and the second outer peripheral
portion of the substrate all through the first and second outer
peripheral portions and contacting the plurality of the first
electrodes and the plurality of the second electrodes.
[0008] According to an aspect of the present invention, at least
the region for thermocompression bonding between the connecting
portion and the FPC can be made unnecessary. It should be noted
that contents of an aspect of the present invention are not
construed as being limited by effects exemplified in the present
specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a structural
example of a wearable device according to a first embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a structural example of a
sensor according to the first embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a structural example of a
substrate according to the first embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a structural example of a
zebra connector according to the first embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the
structural example of the zebra connector according to the first
embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the structural example of
the sensor according to a second embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of an aspect of the present
invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The
description will be given in the following order.
<1. First Embodiment>
<2. Second Embodiment>
<3. Modification>
[0016] However, the embodiments and the like described below
exemplify structures for embodying a technical idea of an aspect of
the present invention, and an aspect of the present invention is
not limited to the exemplified structure. It should be noted that
members described in claims is not limited to members of the
embodiment. In particular, unless otherwise stated that a
dimension, material, shape, relative arrangement, directions of up,
down, left, right and the like of the constituent members described
in the embodiment are limited, the scope of an aspect of the
present invention is not limited thereto only, but it is merely an
explanation example. Not that sizes and positional relationships of
the members shown in the drawings may be exaggerated in order to
clarify the explanation, and only a part of reference numerals may
be shown in some case in order to prevent complication of
illustration. Further, in the following description, the same name
and reference numeral denote the same member or the member having
the same quality, and redundant explanation will be appropriately
omitted. Furthermore, each element constituting an aspect of the
present invention may have a configuration in which a plurality of
elements is constituted by the same member so that one member
serves as the plurality of elements, or on the contrary, a function
of one member may be shared and realized by a plurality of
members.
1. First Embodiment
[0017] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an aspect of the present
invention will be described. In an aspect of the present
embodiment, as an example of a touch panel, a self-capacitance type
capacitive touch panel for detecting a change in electrostatic
capacitance generated between an electrode and a human body
(fingertip), a pen for operation or the like will be described as
an example. Such a touch panel can be used as an input device of
various electronic devices such as a mobile phone and a car
navigation device. In the present embodiment, an example in which
the touch panel is applied to a wristwatch-type wearable device
will be described.
[Example of Overall Configuration of Wearable Device]
[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wearable device
1 according to a first embodiment. The wearable device 1 includes,
for example, a sensor 2, a substrate 3, a zebra connector 4 which
is an example of an anisotropic conductor, and a display 5. The
sensor 2, the display 5, the zebra connector 4, and the substrate 3
are arranged stacked in a direction AA visually recognized by a
user of the wearable device 1. The touch panel (a touch panel 10)
according to an aspect of the present embodiment has a structure
including the sensor 2, the substrate 3 and the zebra connector 4
in a structure of the wearable device 1 described above.
[Sensor]
[0019] Subsequently, each part constituting the wearable device 1
will be described in detail. First, the sensor 2 will be described
in detail. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining a structural
example of the sensor 2, and is a view showing electrodes 22 and
the like which will be described later as seen through from an
operation input surface side. The sensor 2 has a circular base
material 21. The base material 21 is an insulative material such as
glass or film and is a transparent material to such an extent that
display content of the display 5 can be visually recognized. An
electrode 22 (a first electrode) is provided on a main surface of
the base material 21 facing the substrate 3. In an example shown in
FIG. 2, sixteen electrodes 22 are provided, and these electrodes 22
are insulated from each other.
[0020] On an outer peripheral portion (a first outer peripheral
portion) of the base material 21, a connection pad 23 connected to
the electrode 22 is provided along the outer peripheral portion
thereof. The outer peripheral portion of the base material 21 means
a region in the vicinity of an outer edge of the base material 21.
The connection pad 23 is a portion to be electrically connected to
an electrode of the substrate 3 described later via the zebra
connector 4. Specifically, two connection pads 23a and 23b provided
on the outer peripheral portion of the base material 21 are
connected to a certain electrode 22a. Further, one connection pad
is connected to each of four electrodes 22 arranged near a center
of the base material 21. As described above, the number of the
connection pads 23 connected to one electrode 22 may be one or
plural, however, it is preferable to use a plurality of connection
pads 23 in that a contact area of the connection pad 23 is
increased so that a contact resistance can be reduced.
[0021] The electrode 22 and the connection pad 23 are transparent
electrode patterns made of an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film or the
like. The electrode 22 and the connection pad 23 are formed by a
process using, for example, a photolithography method or a laser
etching method. The shape and the number of the electrodes 22, the
shape and the number of the connection pads 23 are appropriately
set according to patterning at the time of forming the electrodes
22 and the connection pads 23, a size of the base material 21, and
the like. In addition, the electrode 22 and the connection pad 23
may be formed by a printing method using a transparent conductive
ink, or a method of forming the electrode 22 and a method of
forming the connection pad 23 may be different from each other.
[Substrate]
[0022] Next, the substrate 3 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is
a view for explaining a structural example of the substrate 3. The
substrate 3 has substantially the same size as the size of the
sensor 2 and has a circular shape. The substrate 3 has electrodes
(second electrodes) 31 provided along an outer peripheral portion
(a second outer peripheral portion) of the substrate 3. The
electrode 31 is electrically connected to the connection pad 23 of
the sensor 2 described above via the zebra connector 4. In FIG. 3,
although the electrodes 31 are provided at substantially equal
intervals along the outer peripheral portion, it is not necessary
that all the electrodes 31 are electrically connected to the
connection pads 23, and only some of the electrodes 31 may be
electrically connected to the connection pads 23. Further, a number
of electrodes 31 according to an arrangement pattern of the
connection pads 23 may be provided at appropriate positions on the
substrate 3.
[0023] A control IC (not shown) as a controller is mounted on the
substrate 3. The control IC is connected to the electrode 31 and is
connected to the sensor 2 via the electrode 31 and the zebra
connector 4. The control IC supplies a drive signal to the sensor 2
and detects a position where a touch operation is performed on the
sensor 2 based on an output signal from the sensor 2. The control
IC performs various controls according to a detection result.
[Zebra Connector]
[0024] Next, the zebra connector 4 will be described in detail.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a structural example of
the zebra connector 4, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing
a cross-section when the zebra connector 4 is cut along a cutting
line A-A in FIG. 4.
[0025] The zebra connector 4 is interposed between an outer
peripheral portion of the sensor 2 and an outer peripheral portion
of the substrate 3. The zebra connector 4 is rubber-like material
having a certain elasticity and is substantially the same size
(diameter) as the base material 21 and the substrate 3 of the
sensor 2. The zebra connector 4 has a ring-shaped base portion 41.
A stepped portion 42 is formed substantially at the center of one
main surface (a surface close to the operation input side) of the
base portion 41. An inner side of the base portion 41 is lower than
an outer side by the stepped portion 42, and a cross-section of the
base portion 41 has an L-shape as shown in FIG. 5. The base portion
41 has an outer peripheral upper surface 43a and an inner
peripheral upper surface 43b as the one main surface and a bottom
surface 44 as the other main surface.
[0026] In the base portion 41 of the zebra connector 4, a
conductive portion 45 which is a conductive portion and an
insulating portion 46 which is an insulating portion are
alternately formed, and the conductive portion 45 selectively
conducts between the outer peripheral upper surface 43a or the
inner peripheral upper surface 43b and the bottom surface 44. In
FIG. 4, the conductive portions 45 are hatched. In FIG. 4, a pitch
interval between the conductive portion 45 and the insulating
portion 46 is shown to be large for easy understanding, however,
the zebra connector 4 in which the conductive portion 45 and the
insulating portion 46 are formed at smaller pitch intervals, for
example, at a pitch of about 0.1 to 0.3 mm can also be suitably
used.
[Display]
[0027] Next, the display 5 will be described in detail. The display
5 is interposed between the sensor 2 and the substrate 3. The
display 5 is constituted by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or the like and can arbitrarily
display by a dot matrix. The display 5 has a circular shape and has
a size such that an outer peripheral portion (a region in the
vicinity of an outer edge) of the display 5 can be placed on the
inner peripheral upper surface 43b of the zebra connector 4.
Contents corresponding to functions of the wearable device 1 are
displayed on the display 5. For example, date, time, environmental
information such as temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure,
current position, or the like are displayed on the display 5. A
game display, television broadcasting, information obtained through
a network such as the Internet, or the like may be displayed on the
display 5. In addition, information obtained by linking the
wearable device 1 with a portable device such as a smartphone or
the like may be displayed on the display 5.
[0028] Note that a circuit for driving the display 5 may be further
mounted on the substrate 3. The circuit for driving the display 5
is a circuit having a control IC or the like as a controller for
performing control corresponding to a structure of the display 5
and may be an IC integrated with the control IC related to the
touch panel 10 described above. The connection pads (not shown)
respectively facing the display 5 and the substrate 3 may be
arranged so that the display 5 and the substrate 3 can be connected
via the zebra connector 4, similarly to the above-mentioned
structure related to the connection pad 23 of the sensor 2 and the
electrode 31 on the substrate 3. In this case, the electrode 22 of
the sensor, the electrode of the display 5, and the electrode 31 on
the substrate 3 facing them are appropriately arranged so as not to
cause a short circuit via the zebra connector 4. Alternatively, the
display 5 and the substrate 3 may be connected by using FPC or the
like (not shown). In this way, the circuit for driving the display
5 is further mounted on the substrate 3, so that it is possible to
commonly use a substrate on which a circuit for driving the sensor
2 and processing the output signal from the sensor 2 is mounted,
and a substrate on which the circuit for driving the display is
mounted, thereby downsizing the device.
[Method of Manufacturing Wearable Device]
[0029] Next, an example of a method of manufacturing the wearable
device 1 will be described. The outer peripheral portion of the
display 5 is placed on the inner peripheral upper surface 43b of
the zebra connector 4. Thus, the display 5 is supported and
positioned by the zebra connector 4.
[0030] Subsequently, the outer peripheral portion of the sensor 2
is brought into contact with the outer peripheral upper surface 43a
of the zebra connector 4, and the outer peripheral portion of the
substrate 3 is brought into contact with the bottom surface 44 of
the zebra connector 4. Then, the sensor 2, the substrate 3, and the
zebra connector 4 are integrated by a pressing force in a vertical
direction (the direction AA) in FIG. 1 by using a case, a frame or
the like having a shape corresponding to the touch panel 10 (not
shown). When appropriate pressure is applied, a predetermined
electrode 22 in the sensor 2 and the electrode 31 facing the
electrode 22 in the substrate 3 are electrically conducted by
contact with the conductive portion 45 of the zebra connector 4.
The drive signal to the sensor 2 and the output signal output in
response to an operation input to the sensor 2 are transmitted
between the sensor 2 and the control IC mounted on the substrate 3
via the zebra connector 4 and the electrode 31.
[0031] With the wearable device 1 or the touch panel 10 described
above, effects exemplified below can be obtained.
[0032] Since it is configured such that the sensor 2 and the
substrate 3 is connected to be conducted by pressing using the
zebra connector 4, a region for thermocompression bonding of a
connecting portion and the FPC, which has been conventionally
necessary, can be made unnecessary. Therefore, the wearable device
1 or the touch panel 10 can be downsized.
[0033] Further, it is possible to connect the electrode 22 and the
connection pad 23 at the shortest distance without using wirings
extending along the outer periphery of the base material as in the
conventional case. Therefore, impedance of a signal line can be
reduced.
[0034] Furthermore, it is not necessary to bend the base material
21, and there is no disconnection problem.
[0035] Even when an electrical connection defect due to a relative
positional deviation or the like between the sensor 2 and the
substrate 3 occurs, it is only necessary to perform pressing using
the frame or the like after positioning or the like again.
Consequently, when the positional deviation conventionally occurs
at the connecting portion by thermocompression bonding, a product
could not be corrected and thus forced to be discarded, however,
since it is not necessary to discard the product, yield in a
manufacturing process can be improved.
2. Second Embodiment
[0036] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Items described
in the first embodiment can also be applied to the second
embodiment unless otherwise specified.
[0037] FIG. 6 is a plan view for explaining the structural example
of the sensor (a sensor 2a) according to the second embodiment. The
sensor 2a has a rectangular base material 26. The base material 26
is an insulative material such as glass or film and is transparent
to the extent that display contents of the display can be visually
recognized.
[0038] In the second embodiment, transparent electrode patterns 27
and 28 made of the ITO film or the like are provided on one surface
of one base material 26. The transparent electrode pattern 27 has
four rows of transparent electrode patterns 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d
extending in the X-axis direction and aligned in the Y-axis
direction. The transparent electrode pattern 27 has a plurality of
electrodes. For example, the transparent electrode pattern 27a
includes electrodes 271, 272, 273, 274 and 275 in order from the
side close to one outer edge of the base material 26. Among them,
the electrodes 272, 273 and 274 have a rhombus shape (diamond
shape) having substantially the same diagonal length, and the
electrodes 271 and 275 at both ends have a triangular shape in
which the rhombus shape is divided by a diagonal line. The same
applies to other transparent electrode patterns 27b and the
like.
[0039] The transparent electrode pattern 28 has four rows of
transparent electrode patterns 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d extending in
the Y-axis direction and aligned in the X-axis direction. The
transparent electrode pattern 28 has a plurality of electrodes. For
example, the transparent electrode pattern 28a includes electrodes
281, 282, 283, 284 and 285 in order from the side close to one
outer edge of the base material 26. Among them, the electrodes 282,
283 and 284 have approximately the same size and shape as, for
example, the electrode 272, and the electrodes 281 and 285 at both
ends have approximately the same size and shape as, for example,
the electrode 271. The same applies to other transparent electrode
patterns 28b and the like. Note that each electrode constituting
the transparent electrode pattern 28 is connected by a known bridge
structure (not shown).
[0040] In addition to such a mode, for example, a bonding structure
may be adopted in which the transparent electrode pattern 27 is
provided on one base material out of the two base materials, the
transparent electrode pattern 28 is provided on the other base
material out of the two base materials, and these two base
materials are arranged to face each other in the Z-axis direction
and bonded by an optical adhesive sheet (OCA (Optical Clear
Adhesive)) or the like.
[0041] The connection pads made of the ITO film or the like are
connected to the electrodes at both ends (first electrodes in the
second embodiment) located at portions close to the outer edges
among the electrodes constituting the transparent electrode pattern
27. Further, the connection pads made of the ITO film or the like
are connected to the electrodes at both ends (first electrodes in
the second embodiment) located at portions close to the outer edges
among the electrodes constituting the transparent electrode pattern
28. For example, a rectangular connection pad 29a is connected to a
side portion, which is substantially parallel to the outer edge of
the base material 26 among three side portions of the electrode 271
constituting the transparent electrode pattern 27a. For example, a
rectangular connection pad 29b is connected to a side portion,
which is substantially parallel to the outer edge of the base
material 26 among the three side portions of the electrode 275
constituting the transparent electrode pattern 27a. Further, for
example, a rectangular connection pad 29c is connected to a side
portion, which is substantially parallel to the outer edge of the
base material 26 among the three side portions of the electrode 281
constituting the transparent electrode pattern 28a. For example, a
rectangular connection pad 29d is connected to a side portion,
which is substantially parallel to the outer edge of the base
material 26 among the three side portions of the electrode 285
constituting the transparent electrode pattern 28a. In FIG. 6, in
order to facilitate understanding, an imaginary dotted line is
added to a boundary between the electrode and the connection pad.
When it is not necessary to distinguish individual connection pads,
it is collectively referred to as the connection pad 29 as
appropriate.
[0042] The connection pad 29 is connected to the electrode located
at an end portion among the electrodes constituting the transparent
electrode patterns 27 and 28, so that the connection pad 29 is
provided in a frame shape along the outer peripheral portion (first
outer peripheral portion in the second embodiment) of the base
material 26. The outer peripheral portion of the base material 26
means a region in the vicinity of the outer edge of the base
material 26. The transparent electrode patterns 27, 28 and the
connection pad 29 are formed by the process using, for example, the
photolithography method or the laser etching method, however, they
may be formed by different methods. Further, the transparent
electrode patterns 27, 28 and the connection pad 29 may be formed
by a printing method using transparent conductive ink.
[0043] The connection pad 29 according to the second embodiment has
a width substantially equal to the maximum width of the electrode
to which the connection pad 29 is connected. For example, in the
present embodiment, the maximum width of the electrode is a length
of a diagonal line 51 of the electrode. The connection pad 29 has a
width 52 which is substantially the same as the length of the
diagonal line 51. Substantially the same means the same or the same
in a range of a fine error which can occur in the manufacturing
process. Further, the connection pad 29 has a rectangular shape
maintaining the width 52 toward the outside of the base material
26.
[0044] Although not shown, the substrate, the zebra connector, and
the display have the same structure and the same operation as the
first embodiment except that the entire shape is rectangular
corresponding to the shape (rectangular shape) of the sensor 2a.
The touch panel according to the second embodiment is configured to
include, for example, the sensor 2a, the substrate and the zebra
connector. The touch panel operates as a mutual capacitance type
capacitive touch panel which detects a change in electrostatic
capacitance between the transparent electrode patterns 27 and 28
respectively functioning as a transmission electrode and a
reception electrode.
[0045] In the same manner as in the first embodiment, each member
is integrated with each other by the pressing force. That is, the
outer peripheral portion of the display is placed on the inner
peripheral upper surface of the zebra connector. Thus, the display
is supported and positioned by the zebra connector. Subsequently,
the outer peripheral portion of the sensor 2a is brought into
contact with the outer peripheral upper surface of the zebra
connector, and the outer peripheral portion of the substrate, on
which the control IC is mounted, and a predetermined wiring pattern
is formed, is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the
zebra connector. Then, the sensor 2a, the substrate and the zebra
connector are integrated by the pressing force in the vertical
direction (Z-axis direction in FIG. 6) by using the case, the frame
or the like having the shape corresponding to the touch panel (not
shown). When appropriate pressure is applied, the electrode in the
substrate corresponding to the predetermined connection pad 29 in
the sensor 2a and the electrode facing the electrode in the
substrate are electrically conducted by contact with the conductive
portion of the zebra connector. Thus, the drive signal to the
sensor 2a and the output signal output in response to the operation
input to the sensor 2a are transmitted between the sensor 2a and
the control IC mounted on the substrate via the zebra connector and
the electrode.
[0046] According to the second embodiment described above, effects
exemplified below can be obtained in addition to the effects
obtained by the above-described first embodiment.
[0047] The connection pad 29 is configured to have the maximum
width of the electrode, so that an area of the connection pad 29
can be increased. Thus, a contact area between the sensor 2a and
the anisotropic conductor can be increased, and the contact
resistance can be reduced. Therefore, impedance of a signal path
from the sensor 2a to the control IC can be further reduced, and it
is possible to prevent the detection performance of the touch panel
from deteriorating.
3. Modification
[0048] Although the embodiments of an aspect of the present
invention have been concretely described above, an aspect of the
present invention is not limited to the above-described
embodiments, but various modifications can be made.
[0049] In the second embodiment described above, a circuit for
driving the display may be further mounted on the substrate
similarly to the structure described in the first embodiment. Thus,
it is possible to commonly use the substrate on which the circuit
for driving the sensor 2a and processing the output signal form the
sensor 2a is mounted, and the substrate on which the circuit for
driving the display is mounted.
[0050] In the second embodiment described above, the connection pad
29 may be connected to only one of the electrodes instead of both
ends of the transparent electrode pattern. It is also possible to
adopt a structure in which the connection pad 29 is widened to such
an extent that it does not contact adjacent connection pads 29 from
the portion of the width 52 toward the outside of the base material
26. Thus, the area of the connection pad 29 can be made larger.
Further, the number of transparent electrode patterns and the
number, shape and the like of the electrodes constituting the
transparent electrode pattern can be appropriately changed.
[0051] It goes without saying that a structure corresponding to the
device to which the touch panel is applied may be added as
appropriate. For example, when the touch panel is applied to the
wristwatch-type wearable device as in the above-described
embodiment, the wearable device may have a structure of a band, a
button, and the like.
[0052] As described in the above-described embodiment, the
capacitive touch panel of an aspect of the present invention may be
the self-capacitance type capacitive touch panel, or the mutual
capacitance type capacitive touch panel, and it can also be applied
to a resistive film type touch panel.
[0053] The structures, methods, processes, shapes, materials,
numerical values, and the like mentioned in the above-described
embodiments and modifications are merely examples, and different
structures, methods, processes, shapes, materials, numerical values
and the like may be used as needed, or they may be replaced with
known ones. Further, the structures, methods, processes, shapes,
materials, numerical values and the like in the embodiments and
modifications can be combined with each other as long as technical
contradiction does not occur.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0054] 1: Wearable device, 2, 2a: Sensor, 3: Substrate, 4: Zebra
connector, 5: Display, 10: Touch panel, 21, 26: Base material, 22,
31: Electrode, 23, 29: Connection pad, 52: Width
* * * * *